


Fireworks

by CocaineVibes



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: M/M, Ms. Grimshaw and Arthur appear once so I didn't tag them, enjoy, javier is sick because i needed an excuse to put them on a room with a bed alone, not that angsty but gets a bit sad, this is just them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26626663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CocaineVibes/pseuds/CocaineVibes
Summary: Bill talks to a sick Javier after Angelo Bronte's party.
Relationships: Javier Escuella/Bill Williamson
Comments: 7
Kudos: 21





	Fireworks

Bill had never felt so awkward in his whole life, and he’d been in awkward situations before, but that damned party at the mayor’s had to take the cake. Surrounded by rich people, all of them ingrates who didn’t know what backbreaking work was, sipping their champagne and taking their money for granted. He was glad it was over, at last, and as Lenny drove them back to Shady Belle all he could think of was to get changed out of his suit and lay down to sleep on his bedroll. 

But as he got off and looked around, it seemed he wouldn’t get to change as soon as he’d like. And as Ms. Grimshaw b-lined to him, he tried to recall something he might have done earlier to warrant a talking to.

‘’Mr. Williamson I was wondering when you’d be back, Mr. Escuella asked me to tell you, he’s got quite a bad fever and he’s staying at Arthur’s room’’ Ms. Grimshaw said sharply.

‘’Shouldn’t you tell Arthur first? It’s his room’’ 

‘’I should. But Mr. Escuella asked for me to fetch you’’ Ms. Grimshaw barked, as she walked away, muttering disapprovingly to herself.

Bill looked at her as she went, he should get going too, to not keep Javier waiting. As he walked up to the old colonial house, he hoped Javier wasn’t too sick, or at least that he’d recover soon. He remembered once, when Javier was still new to the gang, he’d gone down with a fever so bad it left him in bed for weeks, he even overheard Dutch and Hosea talk about him not pulling through.

But he was pulled out of his worry by Cain barking at him, Bill stared at him for a second before he reached down to pet him. 

‘’You shouldn't be here, you know Dutch doesn’t like you tracking all the mud inside’’ Bill told him standing up, sometimes it seemed as if the dog understood his every word, so he talked to him like he did ‘’Go on outside now, unless you want Dutch to yell at you’’ He said standing up.

And as he walked up the stairs he saw Cain go out the still-open door. Smart dog. He stopped at the top, before going inside the room, he debated if he should go down again and change off the suit. But ultimately decided against it, he shouldn’t keep Javier waiting. 

He tried to open the door quietly, but it still creaked, the room was dark save for the faint glow of a barely turned on lantern. Laying on the bed was Javier, pale and shivering, he turned his head towards whomever was entering ready to rasp for them to close the door and leave him alone. But those words died on his lips when he saw it was Bill who was trying, and failing, to enter quietly.   
‘’Hey Bill…’’ He whispered, lifting his head off the pillow, he watched him as he grabbed a nearby chair and brought it next to the bed. Bill sat down carefully. ‘’Why don’t you turn up the lantern? I want to see that suit better’’ 

‘’Fine, but before you say anything. Trelawny bought it for me, and he didn’t really get the size right’’ 

‘’I’m sure it’s not that bad, c’mon’’ 

Maybe he shouldn’t have spoken so soon. The suit wasn’t just tight, it was small, too small for Bill. It looked like it could burst open at any second. Stifling an already weak laugh Javier told him ‘’Next time, I’ll take you to buy one that fits better, just throw this one away’’ 

‘’I can’t just throw it away Javier’’ He said baffled, the suit had cost money, how could he just throw it away? But Javier’s disapproving stare told him he was serious. ‘’I’ll think about it.’’ 

With that he managed to steal a smile from Javier, however faint it may be. How did he manage to look so beautiful, even as he laid there feverish, snotty and glossy-eyed? Only god could know that. And only Bill could see it, at least for today. He brushed his hair aside, and pressed the back of his hand against his forehead.

‘’You’re burning up’’

‘’Really? I hadn't noticed’’ Javier said plainly, even as sick as he was, he didn’t loose his snarkiness. ‘’Just distract me please, tell me about the party’’ 

Oh god the party, what could he tell him? What part of that damned outing was even worth talking about? He had felt like such an idiot there, an idiot in an ill fitting suit. But maybe there was something. 

‘’Have you ever seen fireworks, darling?’’ He intertwined their fingers together, and when Javier shook his head he continued ‘’Ok, close your eyes.’’ He waited for Javier. ‘’Well, imagine a star in the night sky. And then imagine this star exploding, but not like a normal explosion - no fire or smoke - Err, have you ever seen a shooting star?’’ 

Javier noded 

‘’Ok, imagine the star explodes into a hundred shooting stars, but they’re brighter and you can see them for longer. And there’s thousands of exploding stars, one right after the other. And they’re all different colors too, there’s blue and green, and yellow and pink. And they make little boom sounds, and they light up the sky and your face with color. Can you see it?’’ 

He looks back at Javier, who’s still with his eyes closed, a ghost of a smile on his face. The light of the lantern dancing on his skin, he doesn’t know how long he stares at him before he finds dark eyes staring back at him. ‘’I see it, it sounds beautiful, and you saw them at the party?’’ 

‘’Yeah, but that was the only good thing about it. You should’ve went instead of me’’ 

‘’Well, Dutch wanted to pass unnoticed for the most part, and I’m sure someone like me being there would’ve turned a few heads’’ Neither of them said it, but they were both thinking about it. Bill cringed at the vague memory of calling Javier a slur, and the fight that followed the next day. Even after he apologized, the ghost of his mistake still haunted over them both. 

‘’Look, I’m sorry about the other day, you know I don’t think of you that way’’ He said as he gave Javier’s hand a squeeze, they stared at each other, and every second that passed Bill had to kick down the urge to keep talking. Choosing instead to let Javier take the lead. 

‘’Well, maybe you do, my mom used to say that a drunk man spoke the words they thought when sober’’ 

Bill couldn’t stand to look at the way Javier was looking at him, his eyebrows creased, lips pursed. The smile he’d gifted him earlier long gone, the tender moment shared minutes before forgotten. All because of a mistake he could never take back, all because he was too weak to give up the bottle. Just like his father, he only knew how to hurt the people that cared for him. 

‘’I don’t think that way Javier, I’m sorry’’ He stood up, releasing Javier’s hand from his hold. He walked towards the door before turning. ‘’I’ll bring you some stew and then I’ll let you rest, okay?’’ 

He didn’t even wait for Javier to respond, he just did what he did best, ignore his problems and hope they go away on their own. He walked down the stairs and he passed Arthur coming up, he ignored whatever comment he made and continued on his way out of the house. 

Most everyone was asleep, but the stew was still hot, so he grabbed two blows and filled them. He set them on the table as he went to his tent to look for something more comfortable to wear. After he got changed he looked up at the house, never has a house looked so menacing to him.

He paused as he was entering, should he go up? Would Javier even want him to go back? He didn't really have the answers to those questions, it seemed that Bill never had the answer for any question really.   
So he went up, up the stairs and outside of the room. He got there just as Arthur was going out. 

He knocked on the door this time, he waited until he heard a faint ‘come in’ and he entered, stew bowls in hand. He silently handed one to Javier. He was sitting up now, he was still pale but his face was redder, his nose was still stuffy but he was sniffling more often, and his eyes were still glossy but they were redder now. He had been crying, because of Bill. And he hadn’t been there for him. Bill looked at him while they ate, Javier preferred to just stare at the stew. 

When Javier broke the silence, it seemed to startle them both. ‘’Can you stay with me tonight? Here I mean, in bed’’ 

‘’You… You ain’t mad at me?’’ 

‘’I am, but I’m also very sick and I need you to comfort me right now’’ Javier said, he made his point further by scooting against the wall, leaving a space for Bill to lay down in. Bill didn’t need to be told twice, he put the empty bowls on a shelf and walked to the bed, turning of the lantern that lit up the room. 

‘’Can we let Cain sleep in the bed with us?’’ 

‘’What? No, he’s dirty and he’ll give us fleas’’ Javier said laughing weakly, oh how much did Bill love that laugh, he would do anything to hear it for the rest of his life. ‘’Maybe next time’’

He got in bed as they quietly laughed, the bed was warm and Javier was even warmer, even though he was shivering, so Bill wrapped his arms around his sweethearts body. He could get used to this, someday.   
He thought about living together in a little cabin, with a dog, close to a lake so Javier could fish all he wanted. He dreamed about being free, just the two of them, no gang to worry about, no heists to plan. He fell asleep unaware that the man he held in his arms was dreaming about the same thing.

**Author's Note:**

> So I hope you enjoyed reading! this is really my first fanfic in the fandom so I hope no one was really too OOC!!! and it's really my ¿5th? fanfic overall. So any criticism is very appreciated!! Just be nice hahaha. Anyways love to y'all <3<3<3


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